We are calling for political recognition of prostitution as sexually abusive exploitation, and, as a response, for criminalisation of the demand for paid sexual access to human beings.

We advocate for the implementation of the Abolitionist (Nordic) Model, which decriminalises prostituted persons, criminalises those who exploit them and provides viable exit strategies including supports with housing, childcare, healthcare, addiction services, counselling and holistic therapies, financial supports, education and training.

Prostitution is a highly gendered human rights violation. There are an estimated 40 million people in prostitution worldwide. The overwhelming majority are women and girls.

For centuries we have been arresting the wrong people. Prostitution exists because of the demand for it. The time has come to criminalise demand.

We advocate to decriminalise prostituted persons, criminalise those who buy or sell sexual access to them, and provide real, viable exit strategies.

SPACE is an international organisation, formed to give voice to women who have survived the abusive reality of prostitution.

SPACE includes members from France, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Canada, Australia, South Africa, the US and the UK.

SPACE stands for ‘Survivors of Prostitution Abuse Calling for Enlightenment’. We call for enlightenment because before we can expect social change, prostitution must be recognised for the abuse that it is.

From our social media channels

"Just because dancing (stripping) is legal does not mean it’s not violence against women - Stripping and prostitution go hand in hand."

- Vednita Carter, St Paul, USA

"My body, mind, and spirit survived so many things for so many years. The sexual exploitation and violence I endured was almost like something that happened to someone else. If I had told myself the truth about what was being done to me, my psyche would have splintered into a million pieces."

- Autumn Burris, Denver, USA

"Many people ask me, how did I get into prostitution, was I “trafficked” or was I a willing participant? What many don’t understand is - however we entered - what the act of prostitution does to us; how it slowly strips us of any semblance of ourselves, as we try to sell part of our bodies, while keeping our soul intact. Prostitution preys on the most vulnerable; it takes us places we never intended to go, all driven by those who feel entitled to pay for our bodies. "

- Cherie Jimenez, Boston, USA

"When I look back now I see that prostitutuion lured and consumed those of us who were already marginalised in society. If you were poor, if you were disadvantaged, if you had come from a broken home or had vulnerabilities connected to prior cycles of abuse, especially sexual abuse, prostitution was there waiting for you. Prostitution is a trap, and it’s not a coincidence that all over the world it ensnares those who are already struggling to survive."

- Rachel Moran, Dublin, Ireland

"It might surprise you, but it can happen to anyone. No you’re not exempt. I wasn’t."

- Marian Hatcher, Chicago, USA

"At the tender age of fifteen I was coerced into the brutal world of prostitution, I immediately lost my identity. I liken my day to day life to being on the front lines of a battlefield. I spent the next eleven years shut down and disassociated. I supressed feelings of shame and disgust constantly, by telling myself that this was a job like any other."

- Fiona Broadfoot, Bradford, UK

"I was able to exit prostitution and rebuild my life, and with that my education became a tool. I was recognized for my tenacity and my strength and have been able now to be an asset to my community and to my people."

- Bridget Perrier, Toronto, Canada

"Remembering friend’s I have lost along the way, and taking a glance at all the violence, rape and inhumane activities, I just can’t help but recognize my luck to alive today."

- Mickey Meji, Cape Town, South Africa

"For me, sexual abuse was a direct route into prostitution. The same kind of destructive abuse chosen by myself, because I knew this feeling and recognised myself in this situation, even though the situation traumatised me over and over again."

- Tanja Rahm, Copenhagen, Denmark

"When New Zealand passed full decriminalisation, things changed in unexpected ways and I came to understand that the myths of legal protection, autonomy, increased choice and greater community acceptance were unfounded.. The myth of health being better was proved false in less than 6 months of the law reform. Women were kissing and risking herpes, doing oral sex without condoms with the risk of throat warts, doing rougher and riskier practices just to get the jobs.. I dealt with punters changing expectations. I had no choice but to fight against this model ever spreading to another country."

- Sabrinna Valisce, Melbourne, Australia

"What I know today is that women are victimised by the system of prostitution by innumerable perpetrators, and at the same time victimised by a society which is not only allowing but encouraging prostitution by accepting it as a 'job like any other'. We are victims of a society blind in one eye, advancing the wealth of a privileged few over the suffering of an incalculable number of women and children."

"When New Zealand passed full decriminalisation, things changed in unexpected ways and I came to understand that the myths of legal protection, autonomy, increased choice and greater community acceptance were unfounded.. The myth of health being better was proved false in less than 6 months of the law reform. Women were kissing and risking herpes, doing oral sex without condoms with the risk of throat warts, doing rougher and riskier practices just to get the jobs.. I dealt with punters changing expectations. I had no choice but to fight against this model ever spreading to another country."